Apparatus for filling cartons and other packages



March 17, 1936.

c. w. HARTMANNA APPARATUS FOR FILLING CARTONS AND OTQ-I ER PACKAGES Filed Dec; 22, 1930 5 Sheets-She et 1 0 Fig.5.

' INVA'IVTOH. 1 Cam. WILHELM Huey was;

C. W. HARTMANN Filed Dec. 22, 1930 4 5 5 Z 4 2 f /////////////d E: W/A/ L u March 17, 1936.

APPARATUSFOR FILLING CARTONS AND OTHER PACKAGES ..x f .Z i

Bw E" M'rwswrom cam. Wmnsm Hnmmam P594? IV.

March 17, 1936. Q w ANN' 2,034,617

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CARTONS AND OTHER PACKAGES Filed Dec. 22, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inverrron M Q I Cam. wamem Han-mam March 17, 1936. c. w, HARTMANN Q 2,034,617

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CARTONS AND OTHER PACKAGES V Filed Dec. 22, 1930 5 sheet she et 4 APPARATUS FOR FILLING CARTONS AND. OTHER PACKAGES Filed Dec. 22, 1930 asheets-sneet 5 INVENTOR PER fi) qnngvs Cam. WILHELM Hnnrmamv UNITED STATES APPARATUS- Foa mama CARTONS AND OTHER PACKAGES Carl Wilhelm Hartmann, Lyngby, near Copenhagen, Denmark Application December 22, 1930, Serial No. 504,077 in Great Britain January 22, l930 This invention relateeto apparatus in which a number of empty cartons or packages adapted It o be charged with a retailable or other commodity,

for instance granular or powdered household commodities, are successively fed to and from-a device for delivering predetermined quantities of material into the cartons or packages.

The object of this invention is primarily to obtain a high rate of output from a machine for j ages (hereinafter referred to as cartons), whilst allowing suflicient time for each in vidual opera.- tion andespecially for the weig ng and filling I operations. a further object is to enablea machine to be built up of anumber of separate units adapted to be coupled together so as-to obtain any desired total rate of output without the need for increasing the speed of individual operations.

.When a machine is so formed of a series of units coupled together side by side, common driving shafts may be employed for the similar parts of 1 the various units and a single timing and synchronizing mechanism may be employed thus simplifying and reducing the cost of the whole machine.

My invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of fillingapparatus in which two cartonsare filled simultaneously, and, in succession, another two are delivered simultaneously.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing an -arrangement"of filling apparatus in which the 35- cartons are ered. I I

I Fig. 3 isa part sectional side elevation view of the rotatable structure for conveying the cartons brought'successively, filled anddeliv need not be referred to in detail.

Flgs. 9 and 9A are again-similarly combined viewsinside elevation showing the mechanical 55 connection between the prime mover, carton the filling and delivering of the cartons or packsuccessively in alignment with the filling ap'pi -i cal parts most of which 9 Claims. (01. 226-96) shaping mechanism and the carton filling mechanism. I Fig; 10 is a'section on the plane of the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 9A.

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional-elevation view of the 6.

rotating hopper head of the weighing mechanism,

and

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional plan view of the filling stage. I

Referring more drawings, the stack of carton blanks are indicatedat the right hand side by the reference numeral I, and the carton blanks are fed successively onto a plurality of formers '4, the appropriate former 4 having its upper side in a plane 15 tangential with a pasting roller between the stock of blanks I and the formers 4. The carton blank isfolded and shaped about the appropriate former by suitable-mechanism. The shaped cartons closed at one end only are released from theappropriate former 4- open side up on to the conveyor surface I6 the cartons It being slid along the surfacels by being individually engaged by a number of fingers The fingers 30 are car- 'ried by the endless belt or chain 6 and the surface 5 I8 on which the shaped empty cartons are deliv- I end is slotted longitudinally to receive these fingers as shown in Fig. 10. The intermittent movements of the body or 'frame 5 carrying the formers 4 is effected by a so cam .(Fig. 9) secured to a. shaft 36 which can carry a cam 35 for actuating a tappet rod 31 of a valve forming .part of the mechanism for feeding the sheets I. The cam 35 is engaged by a roller 88 ofthe frame 39 on shaft M1 and con- 85 nected by a link 4| to a toothed-segment 42 in mesh with a gear wheel 43 having a clutch 'connection to a shaft carrying a gear wheellli meshing with -a large gear wheel 46 fixed to a shaft 41 which carries the frame 5. I I The endless belt Gisunoved intermittently by stages and synchronously with it moves an oscillating frame 39 which is connected by a link rod lla (Figs. 9 and 9A) to-a triangular frame I8 oscillating on; a shaft -49 and formed with a toothed segment 50 me sh. ing with a gear wheel 5| on a shaft 52 .which carries a gear wheel ila driving a gear wheel 58 on a shaft 54 which actuates the carton filling mec sm 3| disposed beneath a hopper 32, a revolving platform indicated at 51 in Fig. 12 receiving "a' pair of cartons from the conveyor surface 6,.carrying them beneath the filling apparatus 3| whereupon they are raised to be filled, lowered and subsequently carried round 'to be re-engaged by fingers 30 and carried be- 66 particularly to-Fig. 8 of the 10 neath a pressure applying device 55 adapted to be oscillated from a shaft 59 to fold down the two end flaps of the upper end of the carton. The gear wheel 5: is only intermittent in its driving 5 connection to the gear wheel 53 as likewise is the gear wheel 45 as regards its connection to the gear wheel 45 This is effected by splining the gear wheels 43 and 5| on to their shafts and forming a dog clutch connection between them andtheir associated wheels 45 and 5| a respectively. A pair of transverse clutch actuating rods 87. and B8 are reciproca d axially from a lever 91a and 68a. respectively operated from cams 61b and 58b actuated from a pair of shafts 69' and i9 geared as at' H and driven via bevel gearing l2 and a shaft 13 from a common prime mover 14. Side frame members 93 support the various shafts. I The method of filling the cartons forms an important feature of the invention, and instead of filling the cartons as they are conveyed in the same directionof movement as the conveyor 6, i. e. rectilinearly as in existing practice, this rectilinear movement is -c nverted into arcuate movement about'the cent e of the filling apparatus 3|, and when each carton is filled it is deposited again onto the conveyor surface IG and carried under the pasting device prior to sealing the carton. For this purpose the stationary centre post 23 (see Figs. 3 and 11) of the fillin apparatus is a fork-like structure, between'th limbs of which the upstanding prongs 30 of the gear wheel 29b (see Fig. 11) meshing with gear.

teeth 29, formedaround the upper end of the 40 frame 29. The gear wheel 29b is carried by a vertical shaft 290 driven from a shaft 5Lhereinafter referred to.

Each of said hoppers has depending from it a frame adapted to receive-an empty 'carton and 45 also to slide upwardly relative to the hopper to fill the carton, after which the frame is lowered to release the carton on to the conveyor surface I9 Each hopper accommodates an interchangeable nozzle or delivery spout 25a, and by predeter- 50 mining'the dimensions of this .nozzle or spout the rate of delivery of the material can be adjusted. For instance a commodity'which'would flow freely and quickly through a passage would require a small diameter delivery nozzle, whereas a com- 55 modity which is likely to clog or flow slowly would require a large diameter delivery nozzle.

The said frame consists of two dependingside,

arms in spaced apart approximately-the same width as the space between the limbs of the 60 forked post-23 and having inwardly directed feet .6 successively into alignment with the space in the post 23 so that the conveyor 5 may deliver an Y empty carton on to a frame at one side of the said post and convey a filled carton away from a frame at the other side of the post 2:. This operation is shown in Fig, has being effected by mount-' ing four equidistan'tly spaced frames 39 about the post 22 and these are moved through 99 degrees intermittently, the interval between each such movement'being occupied by a movement of the 5, conveyor 6 equal to the distance'contalnins' W0 tons to the filling position, the next operation in being a repetition of the movement ofthe conveyor 6 to carry the filled cartons from the appropriate frames 99' and replace them by empty cartons.

The cartons at their bases overhang the sides of 15 the conveyor surface I6 so that as the frames 39 are raised, their feet 39a engage and lift the empty cartons from the conveyor surface I6 or as the frames 90 are lowered they lowerthe bases of the filled cartons on to the conveyorsurface -20 for removal.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a hexagonal arrange-. ment of the frames 30 about the centre post 23 and each frame is moved intermittently through 60 degrees, the periods'between each such move- 25 ment being occupied by an endwise movement of the conveyor equal to thedistance between two successive prongs 39 thecartons being carried through a complete semi-circle from the supply side to the delivery side, the filling operation being 30 effected during this stage. By this means'as a filled carton is taken from the appropriate frame 39 an empty one is'placed on to the like frame on the diametrically opposite side of the filling apparatus.

The carton carrying frames 99 are each suspended i'rom a pair of vertical side arms 99 secured at their upper ends to a yoke like bridge 34 provided with each hopper, the centre of each yoke 34 carrying a roller 35, these rollers being 40 adapted to travel along a fixed ring 39 having at diametrically opposite sides a cam shaped part 91 adapted to impart the desired raisingand lowering action to the carton carriers 29. The ring 29 is carried'by arms 38 depending froma fixed cover plate 39 having a pair or other suitable number of funnels 32 disposed directly beneath the weighing and delivering apparatus ii for guiding the commodity into the hoppers. when the empty cartons are raised they cover the lower ends of the hoppers and to enable the air in the cartons displaced by the commodity delivered into the cartons from the hoppers to be released a number of vertical air passages 49 are provided outside each hopper, for instance as shown in Figs. 4 and 11 by forming each hopper as a cylin-f drical chamber 4| fitted in a square section wall 52, the spaces between the chamber 4| and the wall 42 in the corners of the wall 42 forming the air passages 49 which are open top and bottom,

their lower ends being brought into close alignment withthe corners of the cartons during,

filling.

The upper ends the hopperswill be aligned with the funnel shaped filling aperture 22 in the cove? plate 99 (see Fig. 11)' when their lower ends are covered by cartons; This filling aperture 22 forms the means of transferring the weighed substance from the weighing and delivery app ratus to the hoppers. The coverplate 99 p efer- T ably hasa depending web." located close the inner side of the toothed ring 29 at the top of .the frame 29, a suitable air tight sealing material being located between the web 43 and the ring 29 so that the s ace within the cover plate from the filling stage they pass under a posting roller is and are conveyed beneath mechanism to have their now upstanding fiaps closed down; The foregoing describes the various parts appropriate to the treatment of one line of cartons but the present invention is concerned with dealing with two' or more rows of cartons and a corresponding number of filling apparatus 3|, sets of formers 4, pressure: members, pasting rollers and final closure and delivery mechanism. go By means of this arrangement of conveyors in one machine and transverse shafts andrecipro- 'gcating bars each common to all of the conveyors and also a number of filling apparatus operated synchronously from a common source a machine is provided which will deal with large quantities of cartons in a space smaller than would be possible with 'a number of separate machines.

I- claim: 1. In apparatus for filling cartons, a conveyor so adapted to receive empty cartons at one end and to deliver themfilled at the other end, a plurality of carriers rotating about an axis passing through and substantially at right angles to the carton carrying plane of travel of the said con- .35 veyor, means for automatically reciprocating 45 through and substantially at right ngles to the carton carrying plane of travel of c said conveyor, means for automatically reciprocating said carriers in the direction of said axis and a pair of carton engaging abutments on said carriers 50 adapted to lift and lower the cartons from and to the conveyor and during the lifting motion to move the empty cartons into a filling stage, abutments at regularly spaced intervals projecting from said conveyor, the abutments on the con- 55 veyor being adapted to engage the empty cartons and push them between the pair of abutments on said carriers, said latter abutments being adapted to engage under the empty cartons and when the carriers are raised to lift the car- 60 tons from the conveyor and when the carriers are lowered to hold the filled cartons adjacent the conveyor whereby the said abutments on the conveyor engage the filled cartons and remove them from the said carriers.

3. Apparatus for filling cartons comprising a series of carriers mounted for rotation in a circular path about a vertical axis, filling apparatus above said carriers, an endless conveyor travelling in a direction substantially diametrically 70 through the circular pathof travel of the said carriers, means for reciprocating said carriers vertically, a pair of abutments on each of said carriers adapted to be located on opposite sides of the-conveyor beneath the plane of travel of 75 the bases of the empty cartons so as to engage and lift the empty cartons from the conveyor to the filling apparatus and to subsequently lower the filled cartons on to the said conveyor.

4. Apparatus fo-mfilling cartons comprising. a series of carriers mo ted in diametrically oppo- 5 site pairs about a co nonaxis for rotation'in a circular path, filling apparatus above said car-' riers, and an endless conveyor travelling in a direction substantially diametrically through the circular path of travel of the said carriers, abut- 10 ments on said carriers for engaging andlifting empty cartons from the conveyor to the said filling apparatus 'and for transferring the filled cartons back tothe said conveyor, upstanding abutments arranged at regularly spaced intervals 15 along the conveyor against the leading sides of which abutments are adaptedto be located empty cartons, means for reciprocating said carriers. vertically relative to said conveyor, the arrangement being that each carton or package is filled 20 as it is moved by said reciprocation towards the filling apparatus above it, said filling operation taking place during translation of the appropriate carton-or package'from the conveyor through an arcuate path back to the conveyor.

5. Apparatus for filling cartons comprising a series of carriers mounted for rotation in a cir-. cular path about a vertical axis, filling apparatus above said carriers, an endless conveyor travelling in a direction substantially diametrically through the circular path of travel of the said carriers, means for reciprocating said carriers vertically, a pair of abutments on each of said carriers adapted to/be located on opposite sides of the conveyor beneath the plane of travel of the bases of the empty cartons so as to engage and lift the empty cartons from the conveyor to the filling apparatus and to subsequently lower thefilled cartons {in to the said conveyor, a frame supporting the said carriers, hoppers carried by said frame and 40 disposed singly above said carriers, said means for reciprocating the carriers comprising a projectio'n associated with each carrier slidable on the frame and a track for engagement by said projection, said track containing a laterally dis placed part for imparting a change of direction of movement to said projection to produce said sliding movement of each carrier relative to, the.

hopper immediately above it.

6. In apparatus for filling cartons, a conveyor adapted to receive empty cartons at one end and to deliver them filled at the other end, a plurality of carriers rotating about an axis passing through and substantially at right angles to the carton carrying plane of travel of the said conveyor, means for automatically reciprocating said carriers in the direction of said axis and carton engaging members on said carriers adapted to lift and lower the cartons from and to the conveyor and during the lifting motion to move the empty cartons into a filling stage, a frame supporting the said carriers, hoppers carried by said frame and disposed single above said carriers, said means for reciprocating the carriers comprising.

a circular track carried by said frame, lateral 05 projections carried by the carriers and. travelling along said track, cam shaped parts in said track for imparting said sliding movement of each carrier relative to the hopper immediately above it.

7. In apparatus for filling cartons, a conveyor 7 adapted to receive empty cartons at one end and to deliver them filled at the other end, a plurality of carriers rotating about an axis passing through and substantially at right angles to the carton carrying plane of travel of the said conveyor,

filling apparatus above said carriers, means for automatically reciprocating said carriers in the direction of said axis and carton engagingmembers on said carriers adapted to lift and lower the cartons from and to the conveyor and during the lifting-motionto move the empty cartons into a filling stage, the arrangement being that each carton or package is filled as it is moved towards the filling apparatus above it, said filling operation taking place during translation of the appropriate carton or package from the conveyor through an arcuate' path back to the conveyor, a

rotatable frame supporting the carriers, hoppers carried by said frame and disposed singly above said carriers, a circular track carried by,said frame, lateral projections carried by the carriers and travelling along said track, cam shaped parts in said track for imparting said sliding movement of each carrier relative to the hopper immediately above it, a central vertical support for said frame and carriers, the'carriers being arranged at a predetermined angle apart around said support, means for,moving the frame intermittently through such angle in a uniform circular'directi'on ed to engage the cartons delivered from a shaping and delivering means and to feed them to said carriers and also for engaging the filled cartons on the carriers so as to remove them from the carriers and deliver them to a closing stage.

9. In apparatus for filling cartons, a series of carriers, a conveyor, means for rotating the carriers in a circular path above the conveyor, a

line of spaced abutments on the conveyor passing diametrically through the circular path of travel of the said-carriers, means for reciprocating .the carriers in the direction of their axis of rotation, abutments on said carriers, filling apparatus above the carriers, the abutments on the conveyor pushing the cartons successively above the abutments on .the carriers when the carriers are in their lowestposltion whereby the cartons are raised with the carriers to the filling apparatus and carried through an arcuate path and subsequently lowered back on to the conveyor.

CARL wmmM/mmm. 

